Russian troops are advancing into the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk at a break-neck speed that Kremlin's men are reportedly just 1.5 kilometres away from the city, according to Ukrainian sources.
Pro-Russian war blogger Yuri Podolyaka, who has a close connection with the Kremlin, claimed on Saturday that the members of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, small special forces units which penetrate the front ahead of the advance, were already in the city.
The situation is such that the heavily outgunned and outnumbered Ukraine has replaced its commander of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk group for failing to stop Russian advances. General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy would take over as head of the operational and tactical group, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, reported CNN.
The city, which witnessed the fiercest battles, lies between Ukraine’s Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Losing Pokrovks would be a blow to Ukraine as the city is a key logistics hub for Kyiv.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, who replaced General Oleksandr Lutsenko as the Command chief, acknowledged the situation. Tarnavskiy called the fighting "extremely fierce" adding that the Russian invaders were throwing all available forces forward.
Even the command leaders seem to have resigned to the fact that the Russians are coming. Stanislav Buniatov, a platoon commander of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion Aidar, wrote on his Telegram that "everyone has already accepted that Russian troops will enter Pokrovsk."
He added that this will open the floodgates for further advance. "Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is not built up with villages like Donetsk Oblast, so that progress will be faster there," Buniatov said. "Once Russia enters the next oblast of Ukraine, it will again dictate the conditions for the full ceding of these territories under Russian control."
Gustav Gressel, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Berlin office, told Kyiv Independent that Russia planned to cut off the main logistical routes connecting the Ukrainian-controlled territories to the front line. He added that Pokrovsk may face the same fate as Avdiivka, captured by Russian forces in February 2024.
Gressel added that Russia has changed its military tactic and is now raining bombs on Ukrainian cities with guided aerial bombs and drones. The drones help them learn better about the Ukrainian terrain and give control of important logistics routes, cutting off essential supplies.
"Unfortunately, the Russians learned and adapted quite a lot in this field," he added. Russian drones have evolved a lot, in terms of resistance to interference and an increase in flight range, which is significantly helping them.
